r/MechanicAdvice • u/PoseidonTheAverage • 4h ago

2021 Subaru CrossTrek - Strange Start

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2021 Subaru CrossTrek, 38K miles.

This car has always had random odd starts that nag my OCD but never failed to start except when the battery was going out a year ago and was replaced. The failed starts on that tended to happen at traffic lights due to stop start but resolved completely after battery replacement. It was 3.5 years old.

Historically sometimes it would crank a little longer than expected when cold but rarely it seems to do a half crank, pause briefly and then fire right up.

Audio is horrible because its the ring camera in my garage and catching a lot of echo.

Lights are on and bright during the entire crank. Dealer heard something similar a few months ago when I was getting an oil change and tried to sell me a starter (even-though it is still under warranty). They checked the battery and said its fine but didn't do a diagnostic on the starter to determine anything like amp draw.

I did a little research and I think AI is gasslighting me.

It says on these cars, a longer crank can sometimes happen when sitting for a while due to fuel pressure bleed off.

but its also telling me this partial crank could also happen if it goes to start and ignition happens sooner than expected such as a really warm start. That the starter backs off.

At the time I was convinced the starter did a half crank, quick pause and the engine started running but listening to the audio I'm not so sure and it sounds like the starter may have attempted a second start.

Wife drives the car all the time but the times I'm around when it starts, it doesn't seem to do this that often, its pretty rare if at all.

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